Oil derrick substructure with tilting deck section



Oct. 19, 1954 H. J. WOOLSLAYER EFAL 2,692,031

OIL DERRICK SUBSTRUCTURE WITH TILTING DECK SECTION Filed Oct. 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 19, 1954 H. J. WOOLSLAYER ETAL 2,692,031

OIL DERRICK SUBSTRUCTURE WITH TILTING DECK SECTION Filed Oct. 18, 19,50 3 Sheet's-Sheet 2 Oct. 1954 H. J. WOOLSLAYER ETAL 2,692,031

OIL DERRICK SUBSTRUCTURE WITH TILTING DECK SECTION Filed Oct. 18, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 f f o I I i I I I B /7 a I .43

F 2 I 6 INVENTORS fimmw Ma Patented Oct. 19, 1954 OIL DERRICK SUBS'TRUCTURE WITH" TILTING DECK SECTION Homer- .1. Woolslayer. and Cecil Jenkins, Tulsa,

Okla, assi'gnors. to Lee C; Moore Corporation,v Pittsburgh, Pin, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application a0.ctober 18, 19.50,.Serial No. 190,694

'2 Claims.- 1..

This invention relates" to well. drilling apparatus, and more particularly to substructures for oil well masts or derricks.v

In drilling deep wells it is common practice to .use a substructure upon whichthe drawworks unit, consisting of hoist and-engines, is mounted. The substructure generally is somewhat higher than truck bed level, so. various typesof ramps are usedto facilitate moving the drawworks unit from a truckortrailer-up to. the deck of the substructure-because the unit is too heavy to-be lifted by theequipment usually available.

It is-among-theobjects of this invention to provide a derrick substructure in which the deck has a; self-contained ramp. for elevating drawworks .froma truckto the substructure deck, in which the inclination of the ramp can be adjusted for difierent truck bed levels, in which the the ram automatically tilts, the drawworks into horizontal position,- inzwhich means are provided forholding the ramp level after the drawworks is in operatingposition, and in-which the substructure is formed. from prefabricated side frames connected by the ramp :and other members that can be removed to permit the side frames to. be carried side :byside on .a truck;

In accordance with this invention, a derrick substructurev has. a horizontal deck provided with a movable section extending inwardfrom one end; of the substructure and adapted to support a .drawworks unit. For convenience of description, the outer. end of the movable section will be said to be located at the rear. end of the substructure. The .front or inner end of the movable deck section, is. supported .by a seat. The central portion of the movable deck section ispivotally supported inthe. substructure to permit its inner end to be lifted from the seat and its outer end to be tilted down to form a ramp for receiving a drawworks unit from, a vehicle located behind the substructure below its deck level. When the center of gravity of'the drawworks unit passes the pivot point of the ramp, the ramp rocks into horizontal position with. its inner end resting on the seat. The ramp section then is detachably connectedto the rest of the deck to hold it in horizontal, position. To support the outer end of the tilted ramp at any desired height, it. rests on a; movable beam which is supported by jacks. The ramp or movable deck section issupported by side. frames which are connected by detachable members, so thatwhen theyand. theramp-are removed the side frames can be. loadedz on az.-truck; for; transportation: to

another location; Elor; a lease-move: aatruck can.

21 be backed under the entire substructure to .move it as a unit.

The preferredembodimentof the invention is illustrated in the. accompanying drawings, in whichFig. lis. arplan-view of the substructure; Fig. 2 .is aside view thereof without thefolding floor sections, but with adrawworks unit in place onthe substructure; Fig. 3 is asimilar side view of the substructure with the drawworks unit resting partlybna trailer'and partly-on the:inclined ramp section of the substructure; Fig. 4 is a. view-of the rear endofthe substructure; Fig. 5..is averticalsection-taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is aview of v thefront endofthe substructure shown in Fig. 2, but without: the drawworks; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the deck pivot-taken.ontherline VlI-.-VII,:of"F.'ig. 1-; andFigs. 8-.and9are sectionstakenon the lines VIII-VIII andIXIX, respectively, of Fig. '7.

Referring to the-drawings, the substructure includes a .pair. of spaced parallel box-like frames .A and .13., each .of which .=is formed .from upper and lower beams] and 2 connected by vertical columns 3 .a-nd horizontal crossmemberA, all welded together. The combined width of the two side framespreferably does not exceed eight feet, so that. the frames. can be carried over: a highway side by side onatruck. At. the top-of each framev there isa folding floorv section.5 .hinged to the outer beam- I. The inner bottom beamst-Z. of= theframes are spaced .apredetermined distance apart by a. pair of removablecross ties 6 and l.

The frontends of the inner. upper beams i of the side frames. are rigidlyconnectedbya horizontal framework- B-detachably connected to them and projecting above them. Rectangular extensions 9:-are hingedto the opposite sides of this framework and normally rest on. top of the. side frames. Thecenter framework and the extensions form: apipe setback suppora The rearr-beamuof framework B detachably supports the frontend of asquare support. I I for a rotary table. The. rear. end: of: the rotary table. support is connected to the inner or front end of ahorizontalrectangularframel-Z formed from welded structural. steel beams and: disposed: between the topsofthe-sideffames;inzthe space behind the rotary table support. This rectangular frame is; an independent section which forms-part of substructure: deck. The inner :end" of the frame rests.v on. brackets 13 attached towthe- .sidezframes vA and B, and. is detachably connected to the side frames. by bolts .14, as. shown-in Fig. 5.. The outer end.20f;the-frame isa detarhably-v connected to the side frames by bolts I6, as shown in Fig. 4.

The central portion of frame I2 is rigidly mounted on a cross shaft II, the ends of which are supported in bearings I8 mounted on top of short horizontal beams I9 secured to an inner pair of vertical columns 3 of the side frames A and B. Theshaft' usually is located a little in front of the center of gravity of frame I2, so that when the frame is freed from the rest of the substructure its outer end will tilt down and the inclined frame thus will form a ramp. The degree of inclination of the ramp is controlled by a movable beam 2i, on which the outer portion of the ramp rests, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of this beam extend between pairs of closely spaced vertical columns 3 in the side frames of the substructure, and the ends rest on jacks 22 that are located between the same columns. When rectangular frame I2 is in horizontal position, beam 2I helps to support it.

Mounted on top of the side frames beside the rotary table support II are shoes 23. Another pair of shoes 2 are mounted on the side frames near their rear ends. These four shoes are adapted to support a portable derrick (not shown) on the substructure in a well known manner. The derrick is raised into position and then a well is drilled with the help of a drawworks unit C (Figs. 2 and 3) mounted on the substructure. This unit includes a drawworks or hoist 26, and engines 21 for driving it and a rotary table on support II, all permanently mounted on a skid base 28 that can be transported from one location to another on a truck trailer 29.

When it is desired to remove the drawworks unit C from the substructure and to transport it to another location, the trailer 29 is backed up to the rear end of the substructure. Rotary table support II and bolts I4 and I6 then are removed to free the opposite ends of the movable deck section I2 from the rest of the substructure. The base of the drawworks unit then is skidded toward the rear end of the deck until the center of gravity of the unit passes pivot shaft II. If beam 2| now is lowered by means of the jacks, the outer end of the movable deck section will be moved down with the beam by the weight of the drawworks unit. The beam is lowered until the movable section has tilted far enough for its outer end to be at about the level of the trailer bed. The drawworks unit then can be skidded down the ramp thus formed and onto the trailer, as shown in Fig. 3.

This procedure is reversed when it is desired to transfer the drawworks unit from the trailer to the substructure. The base 28 is skidded up the ramp I2 until the center of gravity of the drawworks unit passes the pivot shaft. This tilts the inner end of the ramp down onto brackets I3 so that the movable deck section is horizontal with its upper surface in the same plane as the upper surfaces of the side frames. The opposite ends of frame I2 then are fastened to the side frames by bolts I4 and I6. The jacks are elevated to raise beam 2I up against frame I2 so as to reinforce it.

In the event that the center of gravity of the drawworks unit is nearer to its front or rear end than in the case of the one illustrated, the movable deck section either would not be tilted by it at all or would rock too soon. To avoid such situations, the bottom of the deck section I2 is provided with several longitudinally spaced bolt holes 31 (Fig. 8) to permit the pivot shaft II to be bolted to that section in different locations as necessary. Likewise, the bearing-supporting beams 4 I9 are provided with several longitudinally spaced bolt holes 32 (Fig. 9), so that the position of the bearings along those beams can be changed to agree with changes in position of the shaft.

With the substructure disclosed herein, it is a simple matter to raise the drawworksand engines from a trailer to a higher level on the substructure, since lifting equipment or a separate ramp is not required. The same thing is true if the drawworks unit is to be removed from the substructure. When it is desired to transport the substructure from one location to another on the oil lease, the substructure, with the drawworks unit on it, is jacked up far enough to allow a truck trailer to be backed under it after the rear cross tie 6 has been removed. The cross tie then is replaced and the substructure is lowered onto the trailer, by which it can be hauled to its new location. In such a situation it is unnecessary to disconnect side frames A and Bfrom each other. On the other hand, if the substructure has to be transported over a highway where it would be too wide to be carried in the manner just set forth, all of the members which connect the two side frames A and B are first removed. These are the cross ties 6 and I, the end frame 8 and extensions 9, the movable deck section or ramp I2, and the rotary table support II. The two side frames then are loaded onatruckbeside eachother and fastened together. When floor sections 5 are folded down against the sides of the side frames, the connected frames are no wider than allowed by highway restrictions. Whichever way the substructure is carried, it does not take long or much efiort to remove or replace the members that have to be removed from between the side frames. The removable members are relatively small and light weight compared with the substruction as a whole and can be carried on top and inside of the side frames during transportation.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, We have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, Within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. In well drilling apparatus, a derrick substructure having an elevated horizontal deck provided with a movable section extending inward from one end of the substructure adapted to support a drawworks unit, means pivotally supporting said deck section to permit its outer end to be tilted down to form an inclined ramp for receiving a drawworks unit from and delivering a drawworks unit to a vehicle located at the outer end of said deck section below the deck level of the substructure, a pair of laterally spaced ver tical members mounted in the substructure on each side of the pivoted deck section near its outer end, a beam extending across the substructure below said deck section and having its ends slidably mounted between each pair of said ver tical members, and jacks mounted beneath the ends of said beam for supporting it and ra'ming it against the bottom of said deck section and for limiting the distance the outer end of said section can be tilted down.

2. In well drilling apparatus, a pair of spaced parallel box-like substructure frames, means on said frames for supporting a mast, a horizontal rectangular frame disposed between the box frames at the top of the substructure and extending inward from one end, means detachably connecting the rectangular frame in fixed position to the box frames, a horizontal framework mounted between the upper portions of said box frames in front of the rectangular frame, a rotary table support between the framework and rectangular frame and detachably connected to them for support, and means pivotally supporting said rectangular frame after it has been disconnected from fixed position between the box frames and rotary table support, whereby to permit the outer end of the horizontal frame to tilt down to form an inclined ramp when the center of gravity of a drawworks unit thereon is moved out past said pivotal means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,365,370 Woolslayer et al. Dec. 19, 1944 2,429,010 Woolslayer et al. Oct. 14, 1947 2,462,868 Ives Mar. 1, 1949 2,472,359 Woolslayer et al. June 7, 1949 2,487,325 Foster Nov. 8, 1949 2,550,230 Dalton Apr. 24, 1951 

